This invention pertains to mountings for motors and propellers of boats, and particularly to mountings adapted to retract manually motors and propellers upwardly into wells within small boats.
Retractable propelling assemblies shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,911,192 issued to J. W. Harvey on May 30, 1933 permit propellers of the assemblies to be moved upwardly into housings within the bottoms of boats by an angular, tipping motion. While the propellers are within the housings, the boats can be run upon beaches without damage to the propelling assemblies.
Larger retractable assemblies than those used in small boats are used for driving submarines and as auxiliary assemblies for maneuvering large boats in harbors. The assemblies require mountings suitable for raising and lowering the propellers of the assemblies by remotely controlled pwoer devices.
Retractable propelling assemblies for samll boats may be readily raised and lowered manually. Such assemblies may be installed in canoes to be used for cruising to scenic streams and then raised to restore the streamline of the conoes for gliding quietly as usual.
Preferable, desirable mountings not only provide retraction, but provide easy operation, efficiency, and safety. Easy access to propellers is desirable for easy removal of tangled plants. For safety, means for raising the propellers ought to include means for preventing operation there of while the hands of operators are near the propellers. For good efficiency, the bottoms of wells into which the propelling means are to be retracted ought to be closed while the propellers are in operation directly below the wells. Furthermore, the means for closing the wells as well as other supporting means ought to dampen sound originating from rotating propellers. Since the boats are to be used either with or without the propulsive means, the main portions of the propulsive means need to be easily removed and installed.